Michael “Bird” Shaffer Wants You to Lose the Phone and Plug Into the Mountains

Michael “Bird” Shaffer has been around skiing scary lines and flying out the bottom longer that most. Whether it's big scary lines in Chamonix, or technical objectives in his home mountains around Washington, his skiing and flying may be constantly evolving, but one thing he knows is to always stay true to the spirit of the mountains. These days, with devices and social media permeating nearly every aspect of our lives, it’s hard to unplug and disconnect from our virtual world, and stop constantly comparing everything we do to what others think.

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Bird’s message is simple: take to the time to unplug yourself from the fray and plug yourself back into the mountains. Do it to re-connect with nature in the old-growth forest, do it to re-connect with friends, and do it to re-connect with your love for skiing. You'll thank yourself later.